


From Exile to King

by ThefirstRanger



Series: From Exile to King [1]
Category: Ranger's Apprentice - John Flanagan
Genre: Crowley and Pauline tag team, Duncan doesn't know what's coming, Exile, Gen, Ranger's Apprentice AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-07
Updated: 2020-08-27
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:33:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22155574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThefirstRanger/pseuds/ThefirstRanger
Summary: Instead of banishing Halt for one year, Duncan banishes him for life. After rescuing Will, Halt goes back to Clonmel and regains his throne as Will comes with him. Years later, Duncan is set to hold a meeting with the new king of Clonmel in Clonmel. It will not go as Duncan expects.
Relationships: Halt O'Carrick & Will Treaty
Series: From Exile to King [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1594762
Comments: 27
Kudos: 130





	1. The Initial Meeting

**Author's Note:**

  * For [VileWile](https://archiveofourown.org/users/VileWile/gifts).



> On the discord, @vilewile came up with a lovely au. Credit also goes to @Pokegeek151 (who wrote an EXCELLENT piece for this au in the discord) and @janaimaya who helped develop this au.

It had been a rough couple of years for Araluen and Duncan. The kidnapping of Cassie, Morgarath's return, the loss of Duncan's best ranger, and everything else in between. Cassie had been rescued and Morgarath had been defeated, but Halt never came back. Not that he could have, Duncan had given him an exile for life, something Duncan regretted every day. Exile had been the lesser of the two evils, but Duncan cursed Halt for putting him in such a position where he had to choose between sentencing his friend to death and making him leave his home forever. It seemed that Halt loved Will more than anything, more than Araluen and more than being a ranger. Halt loved Will enough to commit high treason and risk his life. 

Duncan had to admit the ploy had worked. Will had been rescued, along with Cassie, and the both of them had been brought back to Araluen with Horace and allegedly Halt, though no one had seen Halt by the borders. Will had disappeared to who knows where shortly after returning to Araluen and no one had heard a word from him or Halt in years. There were often rumors of a ranger duo in the outskirts of the kingdom and in other states, Skandia was quite popular for Halt sightings, but whenever the corps investigated these sightings, there was no truth to them. 

It didn't do Duncan any good to dwell on the past, not while he had a political trip to prepare for. Pauline had been pressuring Duncan into improving relations with Clonmel for quite some time now, especially after the new king had been crowned and she had pushed heavily for a meeting between the two kings. A treaty between Araluen and Clonmel would lead to better trade for Araluen and more military strength for Clonmel. Duncan had happily agreed and King Ferris Niall Cathan O'Carrick had agreed wholeheartedly, albeit with some demands. 

Pauline had received a message from the king's Steward, a certain Sean O'Carrick, that under no circumstances was the meeting to be held on Araluen soil. The tone of the letter struck Duncan as odd. The man had written that if the meeting were to happen on Araluen soil, all the relations between the countries would be terminated and there would be no meeting. That part of the letter had been quite intense, but the next sentence had been extremely polite and understanding, saying that Duncan would be welcome to stay in Clonmel for his trip or if Duncan felt more comfortable, the meeting could be held in a neutral country for both of their sakes. It was a bewildering letter and Ducan, while quite puzzled about why Ferris was so adamant about stepping on Araluen soil, was more than willing to accommodate the new king. 

He wrote back and a meeting was arranged. Duncan was to leave tomorrow with an envoy, including Horace Altman as the lead knight, to take a trip across the sea to Clonmel in a show of peaceful relations. One final meeting is called to prep Duncan for the meeting, though he scarce thinks he needs it. 

"Pauline, I've been meeting rulers and establishing relations my entire life. I can handle this on my own." Duncan was almost indignant. He trusted Pauline with his life and his country. He knew that she was in charge of relations with Clonmel but relations but he was no child. Pauline could have a little more faith in his diplomatic abilities.

Pauline merely hummed and tilted her head, ringlets falling around her face. Duncan was on a roll; it was better to let out his frustration now with friends than in meetings with strangers. 

"Why aren't you coming with me? You're the one King Ferris has talked to." A fair point, but now Duncan was just trying to be petty.

A brief smile appeared on Pauline's face. If not for the ringlets blocking the way, Duncan would have said the smile was more of a smirk. Crowley seemed to be fighting a smile deep within his cowl.

"Believe me, it's best if I am not there for the initial meeting." If Duncan hadn't been so tired of talking, he would have caught Pauline's phrasing. "Initial" meeting indeed. But, alas, Duncan did not. 

Crowley pushed his cowl down, showing his ginger hair, and sighed wistfully. Crowley had been instrumental in gathering intelligence about Clonmel and Hibernia. 

"I'd give anything to be at this meeting." Now Duncan was sure there was something going on with this meeting with Ferris. 

"You hate diplomatic meetings and you hate traveling by ship." 

Another sigh. "Yes, yes, but it would be worth it. If only the gathering wasn't this week. The look on your face..." Crowley trailed off, eyes glazing over. Pauline elbowed him sharply and Crowley quickly snapped out of it. 

"Obviously the look on your face when you read the reports from the gathering!" Another thing to add to Duncan's plate. Duncan mentally groaned. The ranger's gathering and the subsequent reports from the gathering gave him headaches. He waved his hand tiredly. 

"Have we gone over all of the discussions and points for the meeting?" Duncan deliberately addressed Pauline, refusing to acknowledge Crowley for the moment. 

"Yes, you're free to go." 

"Good, I'm going to bed. Will I see either of you in the morning?" 

"I'll be there to send you off." 

"I wish I could be there. This meeting..." Crowley trailed off again, catching himself. "You'll do great Duncan. I'm sure you and this king will be great friends." Duncan could almost hear a chuckle coming from the ginger. He couldn't take it much longer. 

"Good night." With that, Duncan left the room and closed the door a little harder than necessary.

Pauline had been true to her word and saw Duncan and Horace, along with the crew and envoy, off. The trip had been fairly peaceful, there had been no storms and everyone's stomachs were quite sturdy. They docked at the royal port on a bright, sunny day. A good omen for the meeting thought Duncan. He hadn't been too worried about the meeting, but the more he thought about Crowley and Pauline's reactions, the more trepidation he felt. They knew something, heavens knows what they knew, that Duncan did not. But the day was bright and any odd feelings Duncan had were soon swept away when Sean O'Carrick, royal advisor and nephew to the king, came to greet them. 

Sean was a likable young man, able to chat just as easily with Duncan about grain policy as he was Horace about sword fighting techniques. The tension disappeared from Duncan's shoulders as Sean explained that his uncle was very excited to see King Duncan and how the Prince William was looking forward to meeting the famous knight of Araluen. It seemed as if Duncan had nothing to worry about. The meeting would go well and relations would improve. 

The stroll through Castle Dun Kilty was lovely, with Sean pointing various features and establishment around the castle. The staff was on display, but there was no sign of the king or the prince. They did meet the crown Princess Caitlyn, who seemed more than delighted that they were here. Horace had seen a figure dart into the shadows wearing a familiar dark green cloak, but he hadn't mentioned it to Duncan. If Horace was right in his suspicions... No, he couldn't be. Could he? As they got closer to the throne room, Sean shifted a little, his body language becoming stiffer and more formal like he was preparing for something. Finally, at the doors to the throne room, Sean turned to Duncan and the envoy, his tone apologetic yet unquestioning. 

"My king requests that only you and the knight enter the throne room at first, with no one else with you." 

Duncan was startled at this strange demand, but he was a guest in King Ferris' castle. He would humor the man. He nodded at Horace and Sean opened the doors for them. 

"Announcing King Duncan of Araluen and Sir Horace Altman." Duncan and Horace walked into the throne room, which was empty except for two men by the wooden throne. One was standing by the throne and the other was lounging in the throne, but stood up and when he saw Duncan and Horace enter. King Ferris was wearing kingly clothes of the finest order and nestled in the center of his chest was a golden oakleaf. The prince next to him wore a green cloak over his fine clothes. 

Duncan's jaw dropped. He couldn't make a sound nor could he believe his eyes. Next to him, Horace was making some kind of squeaking sound unbeftting a knight on a diplomatic mission. 

King Ferris Niall Cathan O'Carrick was Halt and Prince William O'Carrick was Will. King Ferris was the man Duncan had exiled from his kingdom years ago.

Halt grinned smugly, larger than any of the men had ever seen him grin, and spread his arms out wide, letting Duncan get a good look at the king of Clonmel. Duncan felt a sudden shiver of fear run down his spine. 

"Well Duncan, did you miss me?"


	2. From Kings to Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Duncan's just realized that the king of Clonmel is his friend who he banished from Araluen. It's about as awkward as you'd expect and Halt can't resist messing with Duncan. Can you blame him?

The king of Araluen stood there, gaping. Duncan was still in shock. Of course he missed Halt, but he wasn't thinking clearly. All he could think about was how the friend he had exiled and essentially left for dead was sitting in front of him. His flight or fight instincts took over and unfortunately for the both of them, Duncan had fight instincts. 

"Of course not, you dummy!" Duncan shouted. "Not now when I know you became the king of Clonmel! I thought you were dead in a ditch somewhere." 

Halt put on a faux hurt expression on his face. "You thought someone could kill me?" 

"I've got half a mind to try myself." If Duncan hadn't thought that shaking his fist at the shorter man would have been overkill and comical, he would have. 

Halt laughed and strode forward. He really was in a good mood. 

"I'm never going to let you live this down." 

Duncan grumbled but accepted his punishment. "I deserve it, I suppose." This surly response was lessened by the smile on Duncan's face. Neither of the two kings were truly mad at each other. It was just like old times

"Now that the entertainment is over," said Halt, stealing a glance at Duncan who muttered "I'm glad that was entertaining for one of us." 

"Ahem," Halt glared at Duncan. "As I was saying, now we can get to work." 

"I'd like nothing more." 

Duncan was mentally composing letters to Crowley and Pauline in his head as Halt led him toward the royal meeting room. They must have known; what else could reasonably explain their reactions? He was going to strangle Crowley. And how could Pauline not tell him? She was his closest adviser. 

Halt magnanimously opened the door to the meeting room and Duncan groaned out loud, unbecoming of a king. Sitting in the middle of the room was a stately blonde and a grinning ginger. Pauline and Crowley. 

Like Halt had done, somehow Crowley must have seen the meeting, Crowley spread his arms wide. He let Duncan get a good look at him and Pauline. 

"Duncan! How was the meeting with King Ferris?" 

Halt actually snorted at that and even Pauline let out a chuckle. How many betrayals would he face in one day, wondered Duncan. Out loud he said, “If Anthony comes through that door next, I’ll fight him. I don’t even care at this point.”

Crowley leaned over to Halt and whispered in his ear. “I guess we should tell Arald not to come in then.”

Duncan nearly burst a blood vessel at those words. Pauline took one look at his red face and went to Duncan. 

“Duncan, they’re just joking. Arald is not coming and he doesn’t know either.”

That reassured Duncan only slightly. At least he wasn’t the only one who didn’t know. 

“Can I get an explanation for all of his?” Duncan was tired and he meant what he said. Halt took pity on the king and decided to take him out of his misery. 

“After you exiled me and I rescued Will, I couldn’t come back to my new home so I decided to go back to my old home– Clonmel. Will followed me and when we came back to Dun Kilty, Ferris was still the king. That didn’t last long and here we are.”

It blew Duncan’s mind and he absently traced the lines in the wooden table. Had he known that Halt was a king, would he still have exiled him? The answer was yes, Duncan had to admit. He had done what he thought was best for Araluen at the moment. Still, he had regretted it every night since and Duncan felt he had to say something. 

Duncan stared straight into Halt’s dark eyes and found the eyes of the ranger he had known for half his life staring back at him. Halt may be in fine robes now, but he had not changed who he was. 

“I’m sorry.”

Pauline and Crowley looked pleased and Halt stood up, his face inscrutable. Duncan half thought Halt might take a swing at him. Instead, Halt walked over and firmly shook Duncan’s hand. Turning to his best friends, Halt gestured to the handshake.

“And so the formal Araluen-Clonmel relations begin!”

Pauline clapped politely and as Duncan swept Halt into a hug, Crowley whistled. 

When they broke apart, Duncan grinned at the man who had saved his daughter a few years ago.

“I take it you don’t want to discuss trade policies with me?”

Halt scowled and shook his head. “I try not to discuss trade policies if possible.”

From the way Pauline rolled her eyes, Duncan figured that Halt was a little more involved in his courts policies than he claimed to be. Halt wasn’t the type of man to let someone else do important work for him. Halt rolled his eyes back at Pauline and she smirked; she knew she was right. 

“Actually, instead of discussing policies, we’re having a little get together tonight, just a few of us. Nothing formal, wear whatever you want. I’ll certainly be changing into something more comfortable.” If Duncan heard the glimmer of teasing in Halt’s voice, he chose to ignore it. Halt was probably going to show up in ranger’s garb just to mess with Duncan. Nonetheless, Duncan had packed one of his favorite sweaters and if it was casual wear, he was going to wear it. He so rarely got a chance to dress down and he knew how hideous it was, so hopefully Halt would absolutely hate the sweater. 

Duncan smiled, his mind made up. He would wear the tacky sweater and try to enjoy his night. 

“Alright, what time is this get together?”

Oddly enough, Crowley answered and a little too quickly, not that Duncan noticed. “Come down to the throne room around seven. It’ll have just started then.”

Duncan made a note to arrive a few minutes early. Something in Crowley’s tone made him think that something was planned for when he walked in and Duncan wanted to avoid any more surprises for the next year. He didn’t know how right and how wrong he was  
~  
While Halt had pulled a dumbstruck Duncan out of the throne room, Horace and Will were still standing there. Will went to speak first, but Horace beat him to it. 

"YOU TOLD ME HALT MOVED INTO HIS PARENT'S HOUSE WITH HIS SISTER AND NEPHEW. AND THAT THE HOUSE NEEDED RENOVATIONS." 

"It does, there's so many loose tiles around like you wouldn't believe." 

"You live in a castle. You're the prince of Clonmel!" 

Will grinned, he knew Horace wasn't that torn up about the misinformation. "I'm still the same man I was before." 

Horace punched him on the shoulder. “Yeah, but you’re a prince now. This changes things.”

Rubbing his shoulder, Will looked at Horace, the grin sliding off his face. “First off, ow. And secondly, I’m still a ranger, just not for Araluen. I'm not some spoiled prince.”

As if summoned by his cries of pain, Caitlyn appeared by Will. She smiled sympathetically at Horace before turning to Will. 

“Are you all right?” 

Will nodded, he wasn’t really hurt by Horace’s punch. It had been light and Will probably would have done the same thing if the positions had been reversed. “I’m fine Auntie Cait.”

Horace wasn’t sure what the protocol was for meeting your best friend’s adopted aunt who also happens to be a princess, but he figured bowing again wouldn’t hurt. Caitlyn smiled gently as Horace nearly scraped the floor and she lifted him up with a purple garbed arm. 

“Come now, you’re practically family, Horace. Family doesn’t bow to each other.”

This was confusing to say the least, but it felt nice so Horace didn’t question it. 

“Aunt Cait coordinates all my missions. She’s like Crowley and Pauline mixed into one person. She’s amazing.”

Caitlyn laughed and so did Horace, though it was more out of an effort to be polite than anything else. Caitlyn looked shrewdly at the young man. The knight had spunk to him, she could see why Will liked Horace.

“I’m no ranger,” She gestured vaguely to herself. “My illnesses made sure of that, but I can help my nephew whenever possible.”

“You would’ve made a great ranger.” Will immediately piped up and even though Horace had known Caitlyn for only a few minutes, he could tell that she would’ve made a great ranger. Caitlyn had an air around her, something that said she had been through the worst life had thrown at her and come out with nerves of steel.

“Let’s not talk of what could have happened. It rarely does anyone any good to dwell on possibilities. Will,” Caitlyn turned to her nephew. “Have you invited Horace to the get together yet?”  
Will shook his head. “I was about to!”

He turned to Horace. “Halt is throwing a small get together and dinner tonight. I figured we would explore this afternoon, but it’ll be nice to relax.”

He didn’t have to tell Horace twice; Horace was convinced. Will leaned in conspiratorially and whispered to Horace. “Plus, Halt has a light prank planned for Duncan at the feast. Don’t worry, you won’t be breaking your knightly duties by not warning him.”

The was another light punch to Will’s shoulder, but Will dodged with ease and a grin. 

As the boys ran down the hallway, Caitlyn called out to them. “Don’t forget the dress code for tonight!”

It was sure to be a night to remember.


	3. Duncan Strikes Back

_Found correspondence between King Duncan of Araluen and King Halt of Clonmel_

_His Royal Highness King Duncan of Araluen to King Halt of Clonmel_  
I hate you, did you know that? I wore my comfiest slippers and tunic to that "intimate get together" and you and Crowley betrayed me. Intimate get-together my crown, more like a royal ball. 

Sincerely,  
His Royal Highness, King Ducan of Araluen, Son of Oswald  
~  
_Halt to King Duncan of Araluen_  
I take it you don't want a copy of the portrait the court recorder took of the moment? I have the original hanging up in the throne room. 

-Halt  
~  
_His Royal Highness King Duncan of Araluen to King Halt of Clonmel_  
No. I do not want a copy of it. I could've fired Crowley for that betrayal. You two are some of my oldest friends; how could you betray me like that? Also, I want you to use the proper names since we're both kings. 

Sincerely,  
His Royal Highness, King Duncan of Araluen  
~  
_Halt of Clonmel to Duncan of Araluen_  
No. How could you exile me like that? Go ahead and fire Crowley. I'll appoint him head of the Clonmel army and spies and then we'll take over Araluen with our combined knowledge and power. If it makes you feel any better, my citizens love the portrait. 

-Halt

P.S I know you said you didn't want a copy of the dopey drawing of you but I included one anyway in the envelope. And I'll know if you burn it. George has strict instructions to look in the archives for it and recently I learned that royal correspondence in the proper channels between two kings is kept for prosperity in Araluen so this portrait will be on file forever.  
~  
Duncan never thought he'd live to see the day where Halt used bureaucracy and the monarchy to his advantage, but a lot of things had happened in the past few years that Duncan never could've imagined. The only thing worse than Halt as king would be Crowley as his spymaster. Halt had won this round, but Duncan had an idea for his next letter. He grabbed the nearest quill and started to write furiously.  
~  
_His Royal Highness King Duncan of Araluen to King Halt of Clonmel_  
Halt, enclosed is the latest reports and news from Araluen, plus a special letter from Pauline. Unfortunately, I may have scattered them written within this rather long report of our annual wheat crops and you may have to read all 200 pages to get the complete news. Please give Cassie all my love and tell her I hope she has a great visit!

Sincerely,  
King Duncan of Araluen  
~  
_Halt to Duncan of Araluen, Father of Cassandra_  
Duncan, thanks for the letter. Cassie's visit was so delightful; she is growing up to be a wonderful young lady. Caitlyn, Sean, Will, Horace, Cassie, and I have been getting into a lot of shenanigans; some of which may have caused an international incident. Unfortunately, these reports are encoded within our annual potato report so you'll have to decode everything and then read through the report to figure out what happened. Have fun. 

-Halt  
~  
If there was one way to torment Duncan, it was to imply that Cassie had caused trouble. The "international incident" was in fact that Cassie had hit Will with a wooden sword that Horace had brought along, but Duncan didn't need to know that, decided Halt.  
~  
Halt had been right; his letter had been just the right amount of worrisome and vague to drive Duncan up a wall and Cassie's letters hadn't helped clarify the situation any better. Duncan was so worried about this "international incident" that everyone kept talking around, he couldn't focus on his normal paperwork. 

"Pauline, what am I going to do? Halt is going to give me more gray hairs than he already has with these blasted letters and that hideous portrait." Duncan crumpled up the letters and threw them onto his desk in frustration. Deep in her heart, Pauline felt pity for Duncan. She knew how intense Halt could be when he was playing games of pettiness and it was going to his head. The game needed to be shaken up a little bit. The diplomat leaned forward.

"Now, you didn't hear this from me, but I hear that Will has a particular song that you might be interested in hearing. You should ask him about it." Pauline ended her cryptic advice with a wink before exiting. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have assignments to distribute and notes to read."

What in the world was that supposed to mean, wondered Duncan. What good would a song do in this increasingly stressful (but not altogether undeserved) prank war? He did suppose that if Halt brought Cassie in on the pranks, it would be fair game for him to rope Will into a prank, so Duncan started to compose a vital note to Will.  
~  
It had been several weeks since Duncan's letter to Will had been sent and Duncan had been eagerly awaiting the reply. Waiting for Duncan on his desk was a single cream colored envelope 

Duncan slowly sliced the wax seal open (a green leaf, of course) and his eyes scanned Will's letter. 

It took a moment for Duncan to read the contents and when he was finished, he sat down his pen and called out to Lord Anthony with a large smile on his face. "Anthony, can you contact Ranger Berrigan for me? I need to talk to him immediately."  
~  
A month after Duncan sent for Berrigan, the delegation from Clonmel arrived for their annual harvest visit with little pomp and circumstance as Halt typically preferred. The visit went nicely and everyone enjoyed seeing Halt and Will again; it had been too long since they were in Araluen. To celebrate both harvest and the Clonmel royalty, Duncan threw a feast the last night before Halt left. 

The banquet was going smoothly and everyone was in a pleasant mood, until Duncan stood up and clapped his hands, drawing all the attention to himself. He took his goblet from the table and raised it up high in a toast. 

"I can't say how pleased I am to have the king of Clonmel and the royal family here with us tonight. It is a great honor and represents, what I think is, a great step in the Araluen-Hibernian relations." 

Everyone clapped politely and Duncan continued. "Now, in honor of this friendship, there will be a special performance from members of both Clonmel and Araluen shortly."

Halt looked confused- no one had told him about this special little performance and Crowley was looking a bit too pleased with this turn of events- but he figured it was nothing to worry about and decided to be happy about the performance. Out the corner of his eye, Duncan could see Will slipping away from the table and he couldn't help but turn up the corners of his lips. It was time. 

First Berrigan came shuffling onto the stage carrying his gitarra and wearing a brightly colored cloak that Halt knew all too well. It was Berrigan's jongleur-ranger cloak and simply seeing gave Halt an odd sense of foreboding. This sense of foreboding got even worse as Will came onto the stage wearing a similar, still brightly colored cloak as Berrigan and holding a mandola. There was nothing good that could come from a "special musical performance" by Will and Berrigan. 

No one else seemed to share Halt's trepidation as Will and Berrigan made a big show of tuning their instruments and harmonizing with the orchestra. In fact, Duncan seemed entirely all too delighted by this turn of events. Finally, after several minutes of build up and anticipation, Will and Berrigan strummed their instruments and began to sing. Will in particular looked very excited. 

_"Greybeard Halt is a friend of mine, He lived on Redmont's hill..."_

Halt's eyes widened as everyone looked his way. Berrigan made direct eye contact with his friend as he sang the next verse. 

_"Greybeard Halt never took a bath, And they say he never will!"_

This was the worst thing Halt had ever had the displeasure of experiencing and his own brother had thrown into a river when they were teens. Beside the king, Horace looked torn between amusement and terror at this gutsy song. 

_"Fare thee well, Greybeard Halt, Fare thee well, I say. Fare thee well, Greybeard Halt, I'll see you on your way."_

"Are they calling me old? They're saying that I'm halfway to the grave already!" Halt complained to Pauline and she gave him a soft smile. 

"I'm sure that's not what they're saying. My guess is that it is a farewell song as you depart to Clonmel." Pauline's guess was proven wrong as Will took over the next verse from the older ranger. 

_"Greybeard Halt, he lost a bet, He lost his winter coat, When winter comes, Halt stays warm, By sleeping 'mongst the goats."_  


By this verse, half the great hall was openly laughing and some had even started to sing along to the admittedly catchy chorus. Duncan had never been to a better feast.

  
_"Fare thee well, Greybeard Halt, Fare thee well, I say. Fare thee well, Greybeard Halt, I'll see you on your way."_

Berrigan was swaying along to the music and encouraging people to get up and dance. 

_"Greybeard Halt, he lives with the goats, That's what I've heard tell, He hasn't changed his socks for years, But the goats don't mind the smell!"_

Now Horace had led Cassie out onto the dance floor and started a vigorous jig, leading to a whole flood of couples onto the dance floor. Sean shot an apologetic look at his uncle as he was dragged onto the floor. 

"Sorry uncle! It would be rude to refuse this lady!"

"Yeah right." Halt knew exactly what his nephew was up to, but at least the song seemed to be drawing close to the end. This earworm of a song would be done. 

_"Fare thee well, Greybeard Halt, Fare thee well, I say. Fare thee well, Greybeard Halt, I'll see you on your way."_  


Will and Berrigan wove their way through the crowd of dancers straight towards the royal table where Halt and Duncan were sitting. The two jongleur-rangers got right next to the disgruntled king of Clonmel and sang extra loud.

  
_"Greybeard Halt is a fighting man, I've heard the common talk, That Greybeard Halt, he cuts his hair, With his saxe knife and fork!"_  


"Fork and talk don't even rhyme together," complained Halt. "If you're going to insult my haircut, at least make the words rhyme!" Then he smiled to let his son and old friend know that he was enjoying the song, inaccurate as it might be.

  
_"Fare thee well, Greybeard Halt, Fare thee well, I say. Fare thee well, Greybeard Halt, I'll see you on your way."_

Will finished the song with a flourish on his mandola to an overwhelming wave of applause. The song had been a hit. 

From his raised seat, Halt muttered to Duncan. "That was a good song, I'll give you that. You win this round."

"That's all I ever wanted to hear."

"I'll get you next time."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone curious, this is what I was picturing the royal portrait of Duncan and Halt to be [This](https://imagesvc.meredithcorp.io/v3/mm/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.onecms.io%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F6%2F2018%2F12%2Fryan-reynolds-2000.jpg)


End file.
